The State of MY Blog Address

This coming April will mark my 5th year blogging.  So, I'm not quite there yet.  But, man, to keep up with this for 4+ is a pretty good thing!  I wanted to share about WHY I started blogging, where I am NOW, the trap I can fall into so easily as a blogger, and WHERE I am headed....

Back in 2011, I had 6 six kids 9 years and under.  I was struggling just to feed them 3 meals a day, keep diapers changed, keep the house somewhat tidy and clean (as much as it can be with that many bodies living in it!) and school four kids at that time.  Did I just say "school" them?  Yes, I am one of "those" - those CrAzY moms who homeschools her kids.  And I LOVE it!  Love that I get to help them learn to read. And add and multiply.  And write and form sentences.  Learn about other lands and cultures.  Learn about the beauty of life and creation and our bodies.  I especially love that I get to teach the most important subject - faith!  Our beautiful Catholic faith!  From the moment our babies would sit in my lap, I would be reading and flipping through books with them on our faith - Bible stories and saint picture books galore!  Prayers throughout the day would just become a normal part of their life.  Life was as perfect as perfect could be.  Except.... that it was going TOO STINKIN' FAST!  I couldn't hardly remember what happened the day before, let alone the week before or the year before!  My momma brain was on overload, not to mention all those brain cells lost during pregnancy times 6 (oy!).  I wanted our kids to have a way to remember their lives.  Look back on all the fun we had in the normalcy of our day to day lives.  And, yeah the big stuff too.  But just remember what it was like living and staying at home all day long with all their siblings.  And their goofey mom.  I read many blogs at that time, for inspiration in our faith and also for homeschooling ideas.  And many of these blogs had pictures that would highlight exactly those memories I was wanting to make and keep with my own young crew.  So, I gave it a shot.  I went to blogger.com and started my own special corner on the internet and so began Raising Young Ones!!

Where am I today?  Still blogging.  Although sporadically!  I try to hit birthdays and do pretty good at those. It sure is becoming easy and more familiar.  I try to blog about major holidays and feast days when I get around too it.  A fun craft or 7 Quick Takes on Fridays.  I especially love my Wordless Wednesday because it's such an easy post - no words!!  No other real consistency.  No other real inspiration.  Just keep on keeping on with what I started back almost 5 years now.

Where am I going?  This is something I ask myself all too often.  I can easily get down on myself when I see that I get barely any comments.  No shares on FB.  Even friends that have blogs don't even have my boring ole blog on their blog rolls.  (I must be "that bad")  I see all these other flashy blogs with regular posts and the conversations seem to just keep going in the comments.  You can tell their blogging has became a gift to others.  And that's when I get down.  Does my blog even reach anyone?  Does anyone even read it?  Does anyone even care?  I am very thankful for the sweet comments I do get from friends who say that they "love keeping in touch" with our family through our blog.  And this really does touch me and mean a lot.  But they don't seem to come very often.  And, I keep falling into that trap of seeing all those popular or more-popular-than-I bloggers and how I am falling short....

And, then this happens....

 (Ariel reading our 2014 blog book - my hubby prints our my blog every year - it's my way of "scrapbooking")

 (Pookey checking out one of the latest blog posts and cackling as he watches his older brothers' newest Funny Boys videos)

And, this is that reminder I need to KEEP GOING!  Keep plugging away!  In my ever-so-inconsistent-whenever-I-get-to-chance-to-post kind of way! I'm not much of a writer.  I don't have a superior vocabulary.  I'm just a normal mom, wanting to use this gift of blogging to keep memories of the day in and day out of our lives!  Finding the kids reading my blog and our blog book, makes me realize that my reason for starting and continuing blogging is and was a success!!  

And when I can't blog because I'm chasing kids and grading Geometry proofs and listening to a 6 year old sound out letters to make words, I'll enjoy the quick easy posting of a picture here and there on Instagram and have my Chatbooks mailed to me regularly to add to my yearly blog book...

Thank you for reading this and supporting me here at Raising Young Ones blog!

A BIG shout out to my 9 favorite fans/readers - my 8 beautiful kids and my sweet husband!!  This is all done for YOU GUYS!!  Love you bunches!!

Wordless Wednesday

The latest Funny Boys video: Prank War

I know, I know.  I AM one of their biggest fans.  But, c'mon, they have you cracking up too, right?

Enjoy and.... Laugh.  Out.  Loud.  No sense in holding it in....

7 Quick Takes - Newness All Around

As we walk through life, the only true constant is change.  But I'd like to add to that - and God!  He is always there for us.  Always knocking on the doors of our hearts.  Always waiting.  Always loving.  And, if we are striving daily to love Him....to please Him... to grow closer to Him..., then we need to be open to change and the newness of our daily routine and lives.  A change of heart.  A change of life.  A change of pace.  Whatever it may be, He is constantly molding and shaping us into the persons we are meant to be.  Change is going to and should happen.  We might as well accept it.  

Many new things have happened this week and last week and here's a peek at what God has been doing in our lives - the newness that He has created and allowed for us....

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#1

We are now in Ordinary Time in our faith.  Green, it is!!  Green is for growing, right?  But how can anything grown when it's January?  And cold?  And snowy?  Everything is dead outside, but we can let things become dead inside of us.  We must continue with Piety, Study, Action and lean on the Sacraments to get us through daily and continue with the spiritual growth.  

#2

My sweet kids have begged to use a pottery wheel or take an art class where they could.  One of my daughters even wanted to buy one of the little chintzy kits sold at Hobby Lobby.  You know, the like kits that they do once and then are stashed away and forever forgotten about?  Yeah, you know you KNOW!  ;)  Anyways, this momma said "yes" to this experience, because a sweet friends let me know that a local museum (that we already belong to!) has drop in classes multiple times each week where the pottery wheel is available.  Win!!!  I offered to take anyone buy little Yoda, since he's a little too little to work the wheel and play with clay.  He'd only want to eat the clay.  No thanks, sweet baby!  Melody, Ariel, Max, Pookey, and Rose all said "yes" to going.  (I think Fone and Mario thought they wouldn't like it, but I might be able to convince them to go next time!).  What an awesome experience it was!!  Can't wait to take these kiddos back!!

#3

Already blogged on this one, but had to share that this was the first of I'm sure many witnessing experiences for our Fone.  So proud of him for saying "yes" for making it his.  He did a great job sharing on this topic and using his gifts/talents in making it new and fun and enjoyable for all!!  So, if you haven't seen what he did, go NOW and take a look for yourself.  

#4

I'll let this picture of newness speak for itself...   Be sure to let me know what you think. This cutie (and all my cuties are the biggest fan of the blog here!)  

#5

Newness in this little guy's medical history.  Yoda now has a new piece of hardware in his body, although you can't tell by the picture.  He had TUBES surgery this week from reoccuring ear infections (7 last year!).  I'm sure he's bound to start feeling better and be an even happier baby.  

#6

Newness in school!!  February Funk and the dryness and deadness of this time of year can get everyone down, including my kids.  So, I added a couple new fun things to our school routine...

*Prodigy (math games app - the kids have really been loving it!!)

*new Draw Write Now journal books for the kids who didn't have them

*a kit for some Geography studies

*some cute dot coloring books and markers for Miss Rose

#7

And, last, but not least of all, I'm part of a fun and exciting new adventure...  I'm one of the blogging momma's at Cuppa Catholic!!  Go, now, and join me (and some other great moms and friends) for some fun chattin' about family, life and our faith!!  

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Please click the image below to head on over to This Ain't The Lyceum for more 7 Quick Takes....

"Water and the Faith" video

Our oldest son, Fone, was asked to help out at this past weekend's Confirmation retreat to be a table leader and give a speech.  Doh!  Give a speech?  He was super nervous to do that.  Get up there in front of a room of teens and give a speech?  Not quite ready yet.  Play the piano?   No problem!  But a speech - nah!  However, he LOVES making videos - this is "his thing".  Well, his and his brother's "thing" - Mario and Fone have been making videos for a while now.  So, he hopped on this video right away and covered his topic and the outline very well.  And, without further ado, presenting "Water and the Faith"....

Wordless Wednesday

Celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas

We sure had fun carrying on the tradition of celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas this year!  What fun it is to live liturgically!!  :)

Here's a peek at our Twelve Days...

First day

Second day

Third day

Fourth Day

Fifth Day

Sixth Day

Seventh Day

Eighth Day

Ninth Day

Tenth Day

Eleventh Day

Twelfth Day

We'll most likely keep celebrating by listening to Christmas music and keeping up our decorations (including our tree) until February 2nd, which is Candlemas.

++Thank you, Lord, for the joy and fun and memories made by living liturgically!++

New Year, new you!

Do you have any goals for 2016?

Any family goals?

Any goals for your kids?

My goals:  
1.  Light Weigh eating - would love to drop a pants size!
2.  Exercise more - goal of 10,000 steps daily and maybe try to break a sweat a couple times a week (ugh!  busy mom syndrome = hard to make time for self)
3.  Good spiritual reading (like written by authors whose name start with Saint)
4.  Daily examination of conscience (need to measure all my goals somehow, eh?)
5.  REST more!  Seriously, this should be moved to #1.  I am such a busy-body-never-sit-down-type-of-person.  And, I need to take more time to just REST, reflect, and pray!

My kids' goals (although kinda forced, I mean, suggested):

Mean ole mom, am I!  I've already had to refer to this list multiple times and we're only 6 days in.  Oy!

Happy Epiphany!!!

Today we celebrate Epiphany!!  

We went to Epiphany Mass on Saturday night as a family, but we still celebrated Epiphany as a family and the three wise men reaching Jesus today.  We've had three sweet little wise men searching all Advent long and even after Christmas for the star that would lead them to baby Jesus.  And today, they reached their destination.  This has been a fun tradition that we have done the last couple years now - it's called Wise Men Adventures.  (a great alternative to the Elf on the Shelf).

Today we set out our favorite Epiphany books, the Wise Men's gifts, and our adorable Humphrey, whom we all just adore.  The Humphrey book captured our hearts years ago and we all just love him to pieces!!!

Our kids normally get 3 presents from us on this day as well, since Jesus himself received the three gifts from the wise men.  However, we kinda did some group gifts this year just to simplify things a tad.  The kids got a family gift called Osmo, a fun new board game to play as a family and some boats to play with and take to an upcoming trip to an indoor waterpark (squeee!).

++Lord, help us to always keep searching for and finding You throughout our lives.  Help us always keep our eyes and hearts and lives fixed on You!++

A Minion birthday party

Sweet Pookey turned 6 just a few days before Christmas last year, so very long ago, eh?  Hee hee!  ;)

He had his first real birthday party, although it was only a cousin party.  But it's still a great crowd of boys and we all know how "cousins can make the best of friends".  When our kids turn 7, that's when they get to invite friends.  So Pookey has to wait one more year for that one.

Here's a look at all the fun we had....

~~DECORATIONS~~

**Yellow and Blue streamers 

**Yellow balloons (decorated with Minion eyes and drawn in mouths)

~~FOOD~~

**Minion Corn Dogs (mini corn dogs)

**Minion Applesauce

**Agnes' caterpillars

**lemonade (any YELLOW drink will do!)

**corn (had to throw in a  YELLOW veggie, right?)

~~GAMES/ACTIVITIES~~

**Minion Treasure (egg) Hunt

 

**Pin the Banana on the Minion

**Minion tattoos

**Minion coloring pages

**Bob Says (just like Simon Says)

**Goodie bags (for each boy to take home) - filled with Minion fruit snacks, Minion pencils, Minion tatoos and stickers, coloring pages, and candy

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And, a BIG thanks to our awesome helpers - my son, Mario, and two of my sweet nephews!!!   They ran the the party!  Aren't big kids just great?!!!